MRA Wraps Up 2012 Race Season At Pikes Peak International Raceway

MRA Season Finale at PPIR sees Turner take Race of the Rockies Championship and Moham win 9 Class Championships

Nearly ideal conditions were present for the MRA Season Finale at Pikes Peak International Raceway this past weekend. Several class championships hung in the balance at the beginning of the weekend with double round points increasing the level of intensity for many racers taking the grid. On Saturday Shannon Moham demonstrated his passion for winning in an impressive performance during the Lightweight Grand Prix race. Following a clutch failure at the start, he charged from well behind the field to a first place finish while turning times on a lightweight bike that many middle and heavyweight riders did not match during the weekend.

Dan "Otis" Turner not only concluded his season with a dominating season performance in the Race of the Rockies, he also turned in an impressive performance and victory in the Race of the Rockies GTO class. This marks the 8th time that Dan has been the MRA #1 plate holder and his race performance on Sunday demonstrated why. Dan took the lead of the race a couple of laps after challengers, Mike Applegate and Doug Kahl, got blistering starts and he never looked back.

The amateur classes also did not disappoint. With double points on the line, the ongoing rivalry between David Mobley and Nik Lenski was amplified over the race weekend. In both Amateur classes the winner of the race determined the season champion. In Amateur GTU Nik took the victory and the championship, but in the afternoon the tables were turned and David was able to win the championship and the race.

The Novice Championship in the MRA saw a stand-out performance from Matt Diehl who easily clinched both championships. Consistent, front-running, performance saw Matt clear the rest of the field by more than 50 points in both novice classes despite strong challenges from a variety of competitors during the season. In 2011 Matt forged his skills in the Production 250 Cup which saw equally strong competition in 2012. New riders came to the front to join series leaders Jason Madama and Tony Baker. Returning to racing after a couple of years off, Aaron Allina ran near the front of the Production 250 class all season. He was joined by series newcomers Michael Davis, David Kibler, each of whom found ways to push the front runners to ever increasing levels of speed and racecraft. Also joining the field was Amber Patterson who, in her first year of competition with the MRA, honed her skills in the Production 250 class.

Some of the most competitive, and widely attended classes over the course of the season are the Solo Endurance classes. These classes are popular with racers due to the lower entry fee cost along with the extended track time that is available to the riders. Middleweight Endurance produced one of the most interesting results of the season, with riders Mike Applehans and Rick Grosse tying for season points following the last race. In the end Rick was awarded the season championship due to winning one more race than his competitor during the course of the season.

The MRA is dedicated to promoting safe and competitive motorcycle road racing events for enthusiasts in Colorado and the surrounding area. We look forward to seeing you at our meetings throughout the winter, our annual banquet in November and back on the track in April of 2013!

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